General Industry Research Information
Industry Classification
The industry classification for a particular company is found in its company profile.
There are two major systems used to classify the industries of a company. These are useful for identifying companies within a given industry.
1. The U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system uses a two- to four-digit, hierarchical, numeric code to classify industries based on their business activities. [For further information, see Standard Industry Classification (SIC) System, U.S. Department of Labor]
2. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), pronounced "nakes", is a new system that is gradually replacing SIC. NAICS was developed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico to identify more industries and provide a more precise classification of individual businesses. [For further information, see North American Industry Classification System, U.S. Census Bureau]
Industry Information: Database Resources
- Value Line This link opens in a new windowTo access an industry profile, in the Browse Research tab (default), enter a public company within your industry in the top right box and click Quote. In the resulting page, scroll down and click on the PDF icon under the heading Industry Analysis.
Note: Three simultaneous users - Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
- To find industry reports, limit the Publication Type to Industry Profile. The limit options are found below the search text boxes in the Limit your results section.
- Also, conduct article searches.
Search Example:
publishing and industry and (trends or outlook or forecast)
- Morningstar Investment Research Center This link opens in a new windowTo find a list of companies in an industry, click on the Companies tab in the navigation bar. Once in on this page, select Stock Industry from the drop down list. This will propt a new window to open. Select the industry you would like to investigate from the third option labeled Value and then select OK. Your browser will now be updated with your results. Click the arrow button in the bottom right corner to see results.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new windowMergent Online by FTSE Russell is a database of fundamental company information giving a detailed picture of over 10,000 U.S. public companies. Now includes Bond Viewer - access bond data using the tab at the top of the page. ("How do I use Mergent Online to create company comparison reports?")
- ProQuest Central This link opens in a new windowA multidisciplinary resource providing the largest aggregated full-text database in the market today totaling more than12,665 titles - with over 9,745 titles in full text. Covers more than 160 subject areas, including business and economics, health and medical, news and world affairs, technology, social sciences and more. Provides over 400 full-text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers; nearly 30,000 full-text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education; and nearly 9,000 market reports for business information for 43 industries in 40 countries.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
- Click on the Full-Text@Emmanuel at the right of articles or the more option below the item record.
- Search for the journal title using the A-Z Journals by Title list to verify the journals peer-reviewed status.
